DAILY NATION Thursday June 25, 2015 TRAGIC | ‘I have never seen such a big number of deaths’ International News 35 PHOTO | AFP Pakistani relatives mourn the death of a heatstroke victim outside a hospital in Karachi yesterday. Over 700 people have died in a severe three-day heatwave in Pakistan, officials said with medics battling to treat patients as a state of emergency was declared in hospitals. Hope as heatwave slows in Pakistan Winds have shifted to the southwest, blowing cooler air into city of Karachi KARACHI, Wednesday today, but the scorching weather showed signs of easing, bringing some respite to the sweltering city of Karachi. Temperatures in the city, T which is Pakistan’s largest and has seen the majority of the deaths, were forecast to peak at 38 degrees Celsius, down from the 40-plus highs of recent days. Winds have shifted to the southwest, blowing cooler air into the port city from the Arabian Sea, and the Pakistani Met Office has predicted rain, which would bring lower temperatures. Roads in the normally bustling city were largely deserted on Wednesday after the Sindh provincial government declared a public holiday to encourage people to stay indoors out of the sun. A state of emergency is in force in hospitals which are struggling to cope with the thousands of people affected he death toll from a heatwave in southern Pakistan rose to 750 BACKGROUND Main causes of the crisis Power shortage: The situation has not been helped by power cuts — a regular feature of life in Pakistan — which have stopped fans and air conditioners from working. Water supply: Electricity shortages have crippled the water supply system in Karachi, hampering the pumping of millions of gallons of water to consumers. Fasting: This year’s heatwave has coincided with the start of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan. by heatstroke and dehydration. The change in weather will come as welcome relief for the economic hub, where maximum temperatures have hovered around 44-45 degrees C since Saturday, though officials warned the death toll may still rise. “The weather is getting better now and we hope that the people would bear with it now,” a senior official at the provincial health ministry said. “The latest death toll, which we collected late last night was 750.” The National Disaster Management Authority has been setting up dedicated heatstroke treatment centres to try to cope with the volume of patients. At one centre, van driver Mohammad Sharif lay helpless on a bed, a wet cloth draped on his head while his wife and brother rolled cold water bottles on the soles of his feet to cool him. 750 Number killed by heatwave Pakistan’s largest charity, Edhi Welfare Organisation, said their mortuaries in the city had received more than 600 bodies since Saturday and the sheer volume of corpses arriving meant they were struggling to keep them properly chilled. Anwar Kazmi, a spokes- man for the foundation told AFP the situation was unprecedented in his 40 years working with the charity. “I have never seen such a big number of deaths because of heatwave,” he said. “I remember some 10 years ago, some 30 people died in the whole summer season but this heat is beyond our comprehension.”) (AFP) Berlusconi ex-wife to get 1.4m euro a month ROME, Wednesady divorcing him in 2014. She was initially awarded an Former Italian prime minis- ter Silvio Berlusconi has been ordered to pay his ex-wife 1.4 million euros (KSh145m) in alimony as part of a divorce settlement, Italian media reported yesterday. Veronica Lario, 58, was mar- ried to the billionaire media magnate and politician for nearly 25 years before officially allowance of 3 million euros per month but Mr Berlusconi, 78, appealed the amount. On Tuesday, a court in Monza near Milan confirmed he would only have to pay her half, or 1.4 million euros. The two separated in 2009 after Berlusconi was embroiled in a scandal following his participation in the birthday party of 18-year-old Noemi Letizia. At the time of the separa- tion, Lario told the press that she “could not stay with a man who associates with minors”. In 2011, the former prime minister was also accused of paying underage exotic dancer Karima El-Mahroug — known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer” — for sex during erotic “bunga bunga” parties at his Milan villa. (AFP)